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Hostage Situation

As we have discussed before knives or edged weapons are one of the most difficult types of weapons to defend against. Today we are going to discuss a particularly dangerous threat, where the attacker has already grabbed you and may be trying to hold you hostage.

Here is the situation:

Someone grabs you from behind and squeezes a knife against your throat. One false move and this dangerous situation can be fatal. Whether they are holding you hostage, or just threatening you from behind, we must be extremely careful and efficient with our movements.

In this situation, like many other threats, the attacker has not decided to slash just yet, and is holding the knife at the throat threatening the fatal attack, or waiting for the moment to kill. This is why we call it a threat, not an attack. However this situation can change to an attack at any split second, so when we decide to defend we must commit all the way and move as explosively as possible.

I cannot defend at the blade of course, so I must explosively ‘pluck’ at the wrists in a similar movement that I make when executing a headlock defense. (Here is a link to the headlock defense blog/video in case you need a refresher: https://enterthedraven.com/2014/02/06/the-rear-naked-choke/ )

From here I must use my body as leverage to ensure that the knife cannot be put back on me, and must not allow the attacker any space so that he can pull the knife away and attack with a stab or slash from another angle (see video below for details). It is crucial that once I get control of the wrist with both of my hands, I do not give any space for the attacker to move the knife. I like to think of making my hands and arms like a boa constrictor, getting tighter every chance I get.

Because of the angle of this attack, and the deadly threat involved, my best counter attack is likely to rotate towards the attacker with the knife pinned to my shoulder and drive it into his body. I only do this if I am sure that his intent is to murder me or others in the room, and if he is clearly fighting to regain control of the knife to use it against me. I then continue into a hand/wrist control and take the weapon away.

This technique is extremely dangerous. Please use this article and the video as a reference guide only, and practice on your own at your Krav Maga training center. Or come practice with me!

Ok, thats all for now, enjoy the video, be safe, and… GO DO SOME KRAV MAGA TODAY!